2020 has delivered a lot of horror and anxiety but one thing that has thankfully remained constant is good content — and plenty of it. No mere mortal can keep up with the sheer amount of quality content released each week across Australia’s vast streaming options so here’s our humble picks for some of the best docuseries to come out this year.
The Last Dance
Any NBA fan would have set a bunch of reminders for Michael Jordan’s documentary The Last Dance when it was announced, but it’s likely many without an interest in the sport hit snooze. I’m here to tell you whether you like basketball or not, The Last Dance is gripping TV. It’s got drama, it’s got tension, it’s got Dennis Rodman. What more could you really want.
Where to stream: Netflix
Cursed Films
It’s not likely to win any best docuseries awards in 2020 (in Australia, anyway) but the newly-launched streaming service Shudder has a great watch in Cursed Films. If you’ve ever had a passing interest in some of the strange occurrences surrounding movies like The Crow, this will be right up your alley. The series delves into some of the most notable examples and it’s just been renewed for a second season.
Where to stream: Shudder
Immigration Nation
Immigration Nation focuses on what US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)’s has been up to during the Trump era. ICE is the federal agency behind the various and highly-criticised deportations so as you can imagine the docuseries is important viewing, but certainly not easy to watch.
ICE even tried to delay the docuseries’ release until after the US federal election, which on its own says a lot.
Where to stream: Netflix
Night on Earth
Wildlife documentaries are mostly wholesome watching. And while we all love a good viewing of Planet Earth from time to time, it can feel a bit samey-samey.
Netflix’s Night on Earth somehow manages to refresh the concept by offering beautiful imagery shot at night with light-sensitive cameras so you can actually see what’s going on. If you finish the first one, you can follow it up with the mesmerising Night on Earth: Shot in the Dark.
Where to stream: Netflix
McMillions
We’ve added McMillions to another list before but it earns its spot here again as it’s insane. The series follows a few corrupt individuals who managed to fix McDonald’s popular Monopoly promotions in order to gain millions of dollars in the process.
We repeat: Insane.
Where to stream: Foxtel and Binge
Trial by Media
Yes, this one is a true crime documentary and you might be a little over them at this stage but bear with us, it’s slightly different.
As the name suggests, Trial by Media examines criminal cases that are thought to have been altered by the media circus surrounding them.
Where to stream: Netflix
Cheer
Switching genre here and diving back into another great sport docuseries, Cheer. Like Bring It On but real life, this series follows a Texan competitive cheer team as it vies for its chance at a national championship title. You’ll be brought completely up to speed in the multi-million dollar world of competitive cheerleading by the end of the series’ six episodes.
Where to stream: Netflix
Jeffrey Epstein: Filthy Rich
Finally, we’ll end with the Jeffrey Epstein docuseries, Filthy Rich. Its four episodes detail the timeline of Epstein’s crimes with interviews from the survivors showing how he repeated the same tactics over and over again to little consequence.
The survivors also allege Epstein did not work alone and that a network of powerful figures helped to enable his crimes and even take part in them. It’s not light viewing but it will help you understand the saga and the impact it still holds over the survivors.
Where to stream: Netflix
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